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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — for sport
  8. current — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a dance
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rock — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rock — a stone
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com